Patrick Bobilin

It’s a strange time to be a Latino Democrat. As a requisite for attending Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address, many Democrats brought staffers or constituents as guests who were Latinos or who represented marginalized identities. We are told that, as Republicans want to blame us for lost jobs and chain migration, Democrats […]

Patrick Bobilin is a resident of Yorkville, a political activist, educator, engineer and proud community organizer. He was raised by a single mother who worked in customer service and struggled to succeed in affording basic needs of housing, food and healthcare despite working 50-hour weeks throughout her life. This instilled in him a profound need to fight for social justice and human rights for the underserved women, children, LGBT-identified individuals and people of color who should not be deprived of basic services under any circumstances.

Patrick was public school educated and, with the help of scholarships and grants, paid his way to become the first in his family to receive an advanced degree. He is also the first member of his family in a generation who has been able to afford to move back to Manhattan, where they came from Bayamon, Puerto Rico in the 1950s. He watched as, one-by-one, his family was uprooted further uptown, Bronx and even upstate because of affordability issues.

Inspired by Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, Patrick has decided to turn his motivation as a concerned citizen and perennial protester into becoming an engaged political actor. He has organized with Black Lives Matter and has marched for reproductive rights, public schools, and against LGBT discrimination. He will fight for the rights of the 99%, stand up to real estate developers to demand truly affordable housing, to meet the needs of each according to their ability to afford.